<B>Cool Technology Changes Stage Into Dream Set</B><BR>By KURT LOFT in The Tampa Bay Tribune<P> <BR>TAMPA - Expect freezing temperatures this weekend. <BR>Well, at least at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, where more than 10,000 pounds of crushed ice was brought in to create a frozen rink in Morsani Hall. Two days of cold work have set the stage for performances of ``The Nutcracker on Ice'' today and Sunday. <P>This weekend's production - which features The Florida Orchestra and Russian State Ice Ballet - required 290, 35-pound bags of ice, brought in from AnyTime Ice Co. of Largo. <P>Workers spread the ice over a large square grid lined with hundreds of feet of metal tubing. A compressor pumping antifreeze through the tubes keeps the grid at a chilly 10 degrees. <P><A HREF="http://tampatrib.com/FloridaMetro/MGA3IM8WIVC.html" TARGET=_blank><B>click for more</B></A>

Ice Dance & Gymnastics Champions Bring Nutcracker To NZ
Review By Selwyn Manning for Scoop (New Zealand)

With a cast of Russian ice-skating champions, plus rhythmic gymnastics Olympic 2000 Gold Medallist Ioulia Barsoukova, Nutcracker on Ice presents world championship athleticism, classic fairytale magic, and the timelessness of Tchaikovsky.

Friday’s opening premiere (September 5 2003) of Nutcracker On Ice at Auckland’s majestic Civic Theatre was breathtaking from beginning to end. To the sounds of Silent Night, a packed house was soon transported to another time, Christmas Eve, Russia in the palatial home of the Romanovs.

From the first-act Christmas Eve party to the spectacular finale, Nutcracker On Ice brought all ages to a single place of enjoyment.

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It’s interesting that Ioulia Barsoukova who had a career as a rhythmic gymnast, only got into figure skating as an adult.

<small>[ 07 September 2003, 02:02 PM: Message edited by: djb ]</small>